Bearberry

by Gordon Beningfield

Title

Bearberry

Artist

Gordon Beningfield

Medium

Painting - Watercolor On Watercolor Paper

Description

A low, mat-forming evergreen, bearberry grows in nutrient-poor soils of dry open woods, rock outcrops and coastal dunes. It also is commonly found in clearings, burned areas and high above timberline. With its reddish stems and dark evergreen leaves, bearberry makes an attractive plant for landscaping and erosion control. The white or pink urn-shaped flowers -- on the underside of the stems -- bloom from March to June. The genus name comes from the Greek words arktos -- bear-- and staphyle -- grapes -- and refers to the bright red berries, which bears like to eat. Rodents and birds also feed on the fruit, while deer and mountain goats browse on the leaves and stems. Although edible, the dry, meaty berries taste rather bitter to the human palate when eaten raw. Native Americans made a tobacco mixture out of bearberry -- or kinnikinnick as they called it -- and other leaves, and also used the plant to treat various ailments.

Gordon Beningfield was born in London, but spent his childhood in rural Hertfordshire. He began his career as an ecclesiastical artist, and his commissions included engravings of seven glass Memorial Windows for the Brigade of Guards in the Guard's Chapel, London. Although he began to build a reputation for himself as a wildlife artist in the early 1960s, it wasn't until 1974 that a Look Stranger television program brought his work to the notice of a larger audience. After that, Beningfield was regularly in the public eye with periodic appearances on the BBC's In the Country program. The quality of his work, of course, steadily enhanced his reputation as one of Britain's leading painters of the countryside. His work first appeared in book form in 1978 with the publication of Beningfield's Butterflies, followed by Beningfield's Countryside. Many of his works have been displayed in international exhibits. His art was first immortalized on postage stamps in 1981 when his paintings of Britain's butterflies were chosen to be featured on that year's special British stamp issue. His appearances on television and publication of books made him a familiar artist in both the United States and the United Kingdom.

Please note the "Fine Art America" watermark will not appear on the painting or any print reproduction.

Artwork Copyright © 1994 Wind River Studios Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved under United States and international copyright laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, transmit, or otherwise exploit the Artwork in any way. Any sale of the physical original does not include or convey the Copyright or any right comprised in the Copyright. WRSH Stock Number XB12920

Uploaded

April 6th, 2022

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